Tajima Ryohei, aka Shikeisyu 042 is sentenced to death for murdering 7 men. However the government is planning on abolishing the death sentence for good. In order to accomplish this, Ryohei must prove that ex-criminals like him can live in society. During the 3 years he lives outside the prison, he will meet more than 1,000 people, clean restrooms, plant flowers and define the value of human life and kindness.

I really enjoyed reading this manga. The focus of it is not the controversial setting, but the process of how the main character gradually rediscover and reintegrate into the world around him, and how the world he comes into contact with comes to accept his existence - it made me really root for 042. Of course, there are parts to this manga that are quite idealistic, but overall the development was worth reading. The ending is to be expected; I am also glad that the author did not try to take it the opposite way.

I usually don't read this kind of genre, but it sounded really interesting anyway, so I gave it a try. I'm glad I did. I'm really enjoying it, and I'm always eagerly watching for the next release. If it were licensed in English, I would also buy it, but fortunately there are groups that are scanlating it. Thank you! Reading the story has really made me think about some issues I hadn't seriously considered before. But it's not heavy-handed, the story is also really fun too.

I love suspenseful drama, even if it isn't very realistic. Kind of dark and it's emotionally difficult to read at times, but I like the characters and how they portray "Oshinii" as being almost a child. It's nice to see how everyone develops and connects, although the story is slow moving at times.

A great manga. I've never felt so attached to a character. Number 042 is a great example that I think anyone could relate to in a small way. I'm usually not one for an action diluted slice-of-life, but I suggest this to anyone that reads seinen.

pretty sure that was just a generic explanation for them. basically i think this is based on the assumption that this world has a bit better understanding of the human mind, and they used that to place the chip in the area of his brain that was related to acts of violence/murder. so if he sends enough impulses there it would activate the chip and boom. the overexcited explanation was just an explanation not an in depth detail of how it works.

with reviewers still call the protagonist by 042 not ryohei. did you actually get anything from the manga? eventhough i know he only lived for three years i still want to know more about him! i hope at the very least he die protecting the person important to him.

The settings is very conrtroversial, to me it's so unrealistic.The story flow is a bit as expected, whether to be touched or not depends on how do you like the author. To be the mood flow is calm and a bit too flat. If more spice is added to it, the story will be more interesting. If you have read older works from this author, this one will probably not score very high as they are quite similar despite a different settings.

Not the best execution for a supposedly interesting and controversial topic. The author did not dare step beyond the most superficial philosophical dilemmas which results in a mediocre presentation of stale entertainment.